


differences in shapeshifting

by SnowMercury



Series: Another Day In MonsterFalls [6]
Category: Gravity Falls, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-01-31 16:41:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21449383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnowMercury/pseuds/SnowMercury
Summary: When an odd pair of beings come through the wormhole, it’s nothing too out of the ordinary. It’s bound to happen more than once or twice, given how large the Gamma Quadrant is. But something seems odd about these two. Will they be able to find their way home?
Series: Another Day In MonsterFalls [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1178948
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

“Shifty!”

The sound of raised voices on the promenade was never a fun one; it usually precluded a fight or a missing persons report, or something along those lines. There were the few cases where it wasn’t anything of importance- parents yelling for kids to slow down, joyful reunions, or tearful break ups- but there was a very high chance that somebody was about to come barreling into his office, reporting something or other. And something did- at least, he presumed something did when the door automatically opened and closed, but whatever it was was so close to the floor that he hadn’t the slightest clue what it was. 

Odo stood up, leaning slowly over the front of his desk, peering down at the- what was that? Yellow and black and with an altogether long tail, the four legged furred creature looked back up at him, and seemed to lift one paw up to their mouth in a shushing motion. It looked odd on that creature, like the body wasn’t meant for that kind of gesture, but he wasn’t familiar enough with whatever creature this was to say if it was out of the ordinary. Normally, he would try to familiarize himself with all the creatures and humanoids that would be on Deep Space 9, but there had been one unexpected shuttle the day before that he hadn’t gotten the chance to check up on quite yet. The two aliens aboard had been hesitant to name their homeworld, but given the way they both stood out, it was judged to be more of a case of being wary of being surrounded by strangers than any attempt at infiltration; the Dominion wouldn’t have been so overt in disguises. 

The creature on the floor darted to the side and jumped behind his desk quite suddenly, leaving him to raise an eyebrow. “I don’t know why you’re here, but if you want to stay, I would appreciate an explanation. The security office is not free real estate.” 

Free real estate. He had been hanging around Quark too often. 

The reason why the creature had darted behind his desk became even more apparent when his doors opened again, and in came what was probably one of the stranger aliens he had seen in quite some time. They had the bright colors of something poisonous, but their size and humanoid-ish figure indicated some kind of predator- especially with their claws, teeth, and horns, he noted. 

“Has somebody come in here? Answers to the name of Shifty?” They seem tired, skipping over the usual niceties of ‘hello’, ‘how are you’, and ‘my name is’. However, given that the creature hiding by his feet had shushed him- a gesture that seemed to be almost universal- Odo was immediately suspicious. Was the small yellow creature in danger? Was this going to be a situation? 

Odo harrumphed. “And if they had?”

The stranger sighs, lifting one hand to their forehead, massaging it. It’s a strangely human gesture to see on someone who so very clearly not human. 

“He’s my son. We came through the po-wormhole late yesterday, I think? And being cooped up inside our shuttle wasn’t doing him any favors, so he decided to start playing ‘hide-and-seek’. Usually I’d be fine with it, but he can really blend into a crowd.” Odo noted the reference to Earth culture again- hide and seek was a game he’d not been familiar with until the Federation arrived on DS9. Well, given that he hadn’t gotten the creature’s name, there was one way to clear up if they were traveling together.

“What does this ‘Shifty’ look like?” And he definitely noticed the way the stranger turned frustrated at that. 

“That wouldn’t help identify him, trust me on that. He’s... Very good at disguising himself.” 

“Hmm.” He glanced down at the black and yellow creature next to him, which seemed to be trembling- crying? Or laughter? He couldn’t tell, but suspected the latter. “You have to admit this seems awfully suspicious, Mx...?” 

“David Marmalade, they/them, he/him, neutrois. Yes, I know, but- I really did not expect for him to leave, or I’d have settled on some ground rules with him, you know? Kids really tear up any plan you might have for the day, heh.” David seems to soften for a second, lost in memories, before they seem to remember why they’re here. They look up again, frowning slightly. “So is he here or not? Is there a function to make an announcement, like at malls, so I can tell him to meet me here? Or...”

Odo gestures down on the floor next to him, watching as the creature tenses. For a moment he considers that he misjudged the situation, but when ‘Shifty’ jumps into David’s face when they look around the edge of his desk, resulting in the humanoid letting out a small shriek of surprise that settles into a smile, Odo feels that that was a job well done. However, what he did not expect was for the black and yellow creature to quite plainly turn into something else mid-flight, and given that the only other shape shifters he is aware of are distinctly threatening the well-being of everyone he cares about, well. Maybe he’s a bit too stern when he speaks next, prepared to take whatever action is necessary. 

“Are you two changelings?” Although, something in the way they had been acting seems to point otherwise. It really doesn’t seem like a typical Dominion plot at all. Especially considering he doubted that the Dominion shapeshifters would try to hide themselves from him or would so clearly show themselves shapeshifting in front of him if they were going to act like strangers. 

David’s reaction almost solidifies it. They look up, an expression of what he assumes to be confusion on their face. “Changelings? Like the old earth stories?” Now, what an alien would be doing knowing so much about Earth, he had no clue, but that certainly wasn’t his problem. Maybe there was a study program somewhere. Maybe not. Shifty, now in the form of a large, squishy grub, seems to show no recognition when looking at him. 

“No. As in the Dominion. Shapeshifters,” Ah, and there was a spark of recognition in both their eyes, “that are the dominating force in the Gamma quadrant.”

David seems almost... Excited, oddly enough. “Do they have a main form of any sort?”

“A puddle of goo. You haven’t answered my question.”

David looks to Shifty, frowning, before shifting their position. “No, we aren’t changelings. Although Shifty here is a shapeshifter,” The word doesn’t seem an insult, the way they say it, which is odd enough on its own, “which is where his name comes from, actually. Last parent wasn’t so imaginative with names.” Odo feels a sharp pang of sympathy. He can’t say he would have preferred such a descriptive name as ‘shifty’, that doubled as an insult if said in the right context, but between that and ‘nothing’, well. It was hard to say. 

“Is that so.” He doesn’t have much experience with other kinds of shapeshifters, other than the Dominion. He didn’t even know they existed until now. “On the subject of names, mine is Odo.” 

“Oh.” David seems slightly flustered at that, realizing they hadn’t asked, he assumed. “Nice to meet you, Odo.”

“Hmph.” It hadn’t been exactly ‘nice’ in his opinion, and had in fact distracted him from some important work he would much rather be working on, but it wasn’t exactly unpleasant. “Yes. And you. Is there anything else you need, Mx. Marmalade?”

David shook their head. “Please, call me David. And no, thank you- I’ll just be heading back now, but don’t be a stranger.” Shifty had, once again, changed shape to something else, this time something long and furry and currently wrapped around David’s neck in something like a hug. They turned to leave.

Odo hesitated, before speaking again. “David? Be careful with Shifty. There’s a war with the Dominion at the moment, and I assume you know how prejudice works.” 

David pauses, halfway out the door as they turn back and nod. “Thank you for the warning. I appreciate it.” The words seem genuine rather than trite, as they lift one hand up to gently pet Shifty. Reassuring both him and themself.

Odo inclines his head in answer, and watches them leave, walking in the direction of the docking ring. He then sits back down, continuing with his work. Maybe when he’s off-duty or gets a chance, he’ll stop by Quark’s and see if Quark knows anything about the newcomer. In the meantime, these shipping records aren’t going to check themselves.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dr julian bashir time

“You really weren’t supposed to leave your shuttle until the quarantine was over.” Julian holds the tricorder up to Shifty, scanning him in his base form. It seemed like he was ultimately fine; his own immune system was apparently fine with space travel, adapted for it somehow. It reminded Julian of the water bear, a microscopic creature adaptable to both extreme heat and extreme cold; capable of surviving in the depths of space even. Julian would say that Shifty even looked like one, if it weren’t for the large eyes and the coloration. 

David grimaces, nodding. “Yes, I know, but he went running, and you’d be surprised at how fast he can go when he wants to.”

“Well, whatever damage there was to be done has been done, and the station isn’t collapsing yet, so it should be fine. He seems to be unaffected, at any rate. We’ll just have to hope his immune system isn’t the sort to attack others unduly.” Reading about the Research Station on Gagarin IV had given him chills and added to his worry about his own augmentations being figured out. While it was quite obvious by now that he didn’t have the same issues, that wouldn’t stop others from considering it. 

“Wouldn’t it show up on your... scan of me if that was the case?” David tilted their head to the side, tone curious. At least, he assumed it was- the universal translator was doing an exceptionally good job picking up the little intonations and quirks of what David was saying, Julian noted. He’d have to check the records later, see which language it was- maybe it could help in figuring out what planet they were from, since they hadn’t exactly been much help in that.

“I can see why you might think that, but no. We don’t have a basis for what your immune system looked like before- no baseline, so we can’t exactly see if it’s been changed or affected by his. Anything going wrong could also be explained by the effects of space travel, the environmental controls on the station, exposure to one of the other species on this station, traveling through the wormhole- any number of things. We couldn’t begin to narrow it down without more reference points from others of your species- speaking of which, what do you call yourselves? For the records.” He tapped away on the tricorder, bringing up a fresh scanning page- pulling up the search bar as well, planning to see if somehow David’s species was already listed in the database. 

The seemingly-aquatic humanoid nodded along, and Julian expected them to justshrug off most of what he said- but their reaction surprised him, slightly. They weren’t nodding only when he looked at them, but rather whenever he ended a point- it was a nod of acknowledgement, rather than boredom and trying to speed through the conversation. “Well, we call ourselves Freshwater Sirens- scientific name Enhydriodon pulchravox- but I don’t think we’ll be on your database. Might be better to start a new record? And I know a few of the basics of what the averages are for my health, I could... Check? If that’d help. I’m not familiar with this kind of scanning technology though, so it might be off regardless?”

Julian grinned. “That would be a great help, although we’ll have to adjust a bit since we don’t know the specifics; a bit of a margin of error. Now, one moment and we’ll have...” He lifts the scanner up, pressing the buttons to take the scan, and nods when the results pop up on the screen. He turns it around to show it to David, pointing to the vitals results in the corner. “The results! Is there anything in this corner that seems extremely off to you?”

David squints slightly (could they need glasses?) and starts to shake their head. “No, it all seems within the right, uh, what’s it called? Span of area? No, uh, oh! ‘Within acceptable perimeters’. Although...”

When the statement isn’t immediately continued, Julian inclines his head towards the siren, lifting one eyebrow. “Yes?”

“What is a ‘chroniton’?” They pointed to the section on the results that listed the chroniton amount. A result which seemed unusually high for the average traveler through the wormhole. 

“They’re subatomic particles that occur relating to events that might affect the flow of time, such as time travel or other such events. Looking at these results, however, this does seem to be-“ CLANG went some sort of thing hitting the floor, causing both of them to jump. Almost immediately, David gasped as he looked to where Shifty had just pushed one of the other scanners onto the floor. 

“Shifty! Don’t- are you okay? I’m so sorry, Dr. Bashir, he just- new things, interesting, one second-“ The siren speed-walked to the counter that Shifty had crawled up onto, picking him up quickly and frowning. Shifty seemed to smile in return. 

“Bored.” It was one of the first words that Shifty had said in front of Julian, which he took note of as Shifty started to transform into a liquid, slipping out of David’s hands to the floor in a drawn out manner. “Boooooooooorrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeed.”

David sighed, looking back to Julian with a tired expression. “Sorry, he- we don’t have any of our stuff with us, which he’d usually use to entertain himself. Are we okay to go? Anything life-threatening on there?” 

Julian glances at the scan again and shakes his head. “No, although I do have a vaccine or two you would benefit from. Your immune system doesn’t seem to have thememory cells for a few common diseases and viruses in intergalactic travel. I do have to caution you though, that if you refuse these vaccines, that if someone with an immunodeficiency or who is otherwise immunocompromised comes aboard, we do reserve the right to confine you to certain sections of the station as per regulation-“

“Oh, that won’t be an issue. How long will the vaccines take? Does Shifty need them as well?” At least he doesn’t have to worry about a difficult patient. “I do have to mention though, neither of us are the best with needles.” What?

“I- Needles? Why would we be using _needles_?” He sifts through his memory of medical history, remembering that at one point needles were in use for vaccines, but that had been centuries ago before the hypospray was developed. And this was one kind of technology that Starfleet hadn’t exactly been secretive about. Neither was it unfamiliar within the Gamma quadrant or in their current section of space- it was about on par with the technology of the shuttle David and Shifty had arrived in, or at least it should have been. Maybe even earlier.

David blinks as Shifty transforms into another tricorder at their feet. “For... The vaccine?”

Okay, so he was dealing with patients from a pre-hypospray civilization. But he wasn’t about to go searching for some kind of antique to go sticking people with. “Oh, we use hyposprays for that. I can send a full description of them to your shuttlepod, if you’re interested. Vaccinating should only take a moment, five minutes maximum. And no, Shifty doesn’t seem to need any. His immune system appears to function differently from yours or mine, so the vaccine would be both useless and unnecessary.” Might even be harmful, he couldn’t be certain. Not without more tests. Which he might request permission for at some point.

Setting down the scanner, he moves over to the medical supplies and quickly finds the required vaccines, turning back to David and gesturing. “I just need your arm for a moment, and then you’ll be free to leave. It might sting just a bit, but only the same amount as if you’re walking outside during a heavy storm. If you start to feel woozy or have trouble breathing, or feel at all out of the ordinary, you might be having an allergic reaction, and I’d recommend you contact us as soon as possible. Anaphylactic shock is reversible if treated in time.” Normally the injection site would be the neck, but the arm was just as well, and likely more familiar to someone used to needles.

Really. _Needles_. 

The vaccination took only a few moments as promised, and Julian was soon wishing both David and Shifty a farewell, along with a tip to check the nearest wall-PADD for information about the station. After that, he decided to take another look at the scanner results and finish up the profile for Freshwater Sirens and... Shapeshifters, as generic as that name was, within the database. 

It was during a closer examination of David’s genetic code that he noticed something that seemed extremely odd. 

They had some very unique genetic markers in their DNA, a very specific pattern that seemed to point to one specific planet of origin. A moment later, after checking the computer translation records, he was sure. 

David Marmalade was from Earth. And likely not his Earth, at least not at this time, if the chroniton readings were to be trusted. 

He would have to go to Sisko about this.


	3. Chapter 3

After he had left the infirmary in charge of Nurse Tagana, Julian Bashir rushed through the hallways, tapping away on his PADD, pulling up pages of the scans that had been done on David and Shifty. Was it possible that their two species would have odd chroniton readings naturally? No, it wouldn’t account for both of them speaking english and for David having those genetic markers. And if it hadn’t been for the chronitons, he would have kept this quiet- Starfleet did have some respect for doctor-patient confidentiality- but clearly, the two strangers on Deep Space 9 weren’t the average everyday travelers. 

His pace slowed for a moment as he considered the possibility of this being some sort of undercover operation. But, no, they wouldn’t have stood out as much as they did, or let him know about any of this- and David did seem genuinely surprised that they didn’t need to use needles for vaccines. 

The biggest question had to be that if they weren’t from Earth in this now, in this timeline- then when? 

He thought back to when the duo had arrived on the station, their shuttle towed in for repairs...

————————

He had just been finishing up an eye exam for one of the ensigns, when the report came in. An unknown shuttle was docking after coming through the wormhole, with two unidentifiable life forms on board- not that their scan could reveal much more than that, but he wished someone would have told him if they were injured, or if this was just a routine check-in. 

Having finished preparing a medkit of possible supplies that he would need, he made his way down to docking bay 9, noticing the presence of Kira and Jadzia already there. As a Major and Science Officer, respectively, and more importantly both high enough in the chain of command to act as representatives of Starfleet and Bajor in cases of first contact with unknown species. There were several personnel outside the docking area as well; going to red alert had been considered, but as it was a space station and not a starship, ultimately was not the option chosen. Whether or not the two in the shuttlecraft could act as representatives was another question altogether, but one that hadn’t been solved yet. Jadzia and Kira had lapsed into silence when he arrived, and even his hearing couldn’t have picked up what they were saying before. 

“Have any clues about how the two inside are doing?” Julian asked, and the two women exchanged a glance. 

“No more than you. They haven’t tried opening the hatch on their shuttle yet- and we don’t want to seem too aggressive and try opening it ourselves. It’d be different if we hadn’t heard them banging around in there.” Jadzia remarked, and Julian could see the corner of Kira’s mouth twitch downwards as she crossed her arms.

“I wish they’d go ahead and open it already, we don’t have all day. What could even be taking them so long-“ Her anxious muttering is interrupted by the sound of the shuttle’s hatch opening and springing upwards, and she quickly lowers her arms back down to her sides as Jadzia stifles a smirk. 

The head that pokes up out of the hatch reminds Julian of a meerkat- not in appearance, although the fur doesn’t help with that, but in action. It is also covered by what seems to be a space suit, something that hadn’t exactly been in use in shuttles for centuries. They lift some kind of odd device, and Kira tenses- and after a moment a light on the device turns green. Then the person in the suit lifts one hand to the base of their suit’s helmet and pushes a button- and there is an audible hiss as it depressurizes.

“An atmospheric scanner, I’m assuming.” Jadzia nods towards the device, hands held behind her back- and the figure freezes for a moment, then proceeds to take their helmet off faster than before. Once they do, their wide-eyed expression meets Jadzia’s less-surprised one. 

“I can understand you? Can you understand me? I wasn’t sure what would be on this side, if it would be safe to breathe or move or exist, or- that’s why, you know?” They seem to be stuck speaking in sentence fragments, now looking around the docking bay and taking in every corner of it almost, fins on the side of their face flaring in excitement- and lighting up slightly? Interesting, Julian notes.

“Yes, we can understand you. Universal translators work  wonders . Do you mind if we take a few scans of you and your vessel? We’re unfamiliar with your species and starship, and would rather find out about any complications sooner rather than later.” Jadzia seems to be taking point on this, as the stranger doesn’t seem to have even really noticed Kira or Julian are there yet- Julian had noted that they technically should have, but hadn’t acknowledged them yet. 

“Some introductions might also be in order.” Kira begins as the stranger nods to Jadzia and tells her to go ahead. Julian lifts up the medical tricorder he has and takes a quick scan of the stranger, focusing only on injuries or immediately dangerous diseases. 

“I’m Major Kira Nerys, Bajoran Liason Officer, if you’re unfamiliar with Bajoran custom then you may call me Major Kira. This is the Chief Medical Officer aboard Deep Space 9, Lieutenant Julian Bashir,” Julian lifts one hand slightly at his introduction, only half-thinking about it, “and Starfleet’s Science Officer, Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax. Apologies for pulling your shuttlecraft aboard, but you refused to answer any of our hails, and shuttlecraft from the wormhole of your ship’s size are very unusual to not need assistance. We thought something may have knocked you or your communications out.”

They look strangely sheepish, from a human perspective, Julian notes. But then again, he knows nothing about their species, or their customs. It might just as easily be an expression of fear or anger.

“I’m David Marmalade, they/them and he/him, neutrois. I may have, uh, forgotten to build external communications into my shuttle? The only communications panel runs on an internal system and is automatically set to my home, I didn’t expect to meet people I could actually talk to over here. Uh, oh! And this is Shifty, my son.” They reach down and pull up what seems like a rather small being in a space suit, maybe a foot and a half tall, before pressing the base of Shifty’s helmet as well. It lifts up to reveal a very bug-like face, who almost appears to be scowling.

“You built this yourself?” Kira gestures to the shuttle, and David nods. Or, maybe they nod- Julian has to catch himself sometimes, remind himself that just because a gesture means one thing among humans, doesn’t mean it means the same thing among others. His tricorder beeps, signaling the scan is done- and he notes that there only appears to be superficial injuries on David, and none on Shifty. 

“Do you have prior medical records registered with Starfleet?” The scanner is marking David as an unknown, which makes sense, but if he can arrange for a transfer of medical records then he could be prepared in case of- well, a medical emergency. He much prefers to know how to heal patients rather than operating in the dark, and while it is optional, most prefer the mortification of being known over the looming threat of death through medical mishaps in an emergency. 

David shook their head. "No, I don't think so? I'm not familiar with... Starfleet? What is it?"

Unsurprising, given that they came through the wormhole. “An exploratory organization and a branch of the Federation’s military. The Federation is a, well, Federation of planets, including Human, Vulcan, Tellarite, and Andorian worlds, among many others.” 

There is a moment that he notices they seem to recognize one of those words, but the moment is too fast even for him to catch which it was as David hums a note of recognition. “Hmm. Interesting! No, I shouldn’t have any records with Starfleet. Or with... Bajoran?”

Jadzia seems to hide a smile at David’s attempt to figure out what Bajor is called as Kira politely corrects them. “Bajor. Perfectly understandable, our database is still a bit of a work in progress.”

Then Jadzia cuts in. “Do you need any assistance with your shuttle? Any repairs or would you like some help putting in an external communications device? It can be tricky to figure out what channel everybody else is communicating on.” 

David shakes their head slightly. “Oh, no, I couldn’t impose, besides, I don’t have any money to pay you with, or anything to trade.” 

“Then you’re in luck! Starfleet sets aside a small stipend for resources for first contacts, helping stranded or otherwise damaged ships, and other forms of humanitarian aid. We can dip into it.” Julian interjects, grinning. For some reason, David doesn’t seem to be any happier at this, instead seeming more concerned.

“Won’t other people need it more? I-“ and here they pause, glancing down to Shifty, then back to the others again, seemingly resolved. “I, might need some help, yes. I would greatly appreciate any help you’d be willing to spare. Do you have orange juice and beans?”

Jadzia smiles. “You’re in luck.”

______________

In retrospect it was so exceedingly obvious. He should have known from the beginning that something was off, and asking about  orange juice and beans ? How had he not been aware! Sure, more than three centuries of space travel and exports meant it was entirely possible for completely alien species to be aware of earth food and plantlife, but still!

By this point, he was already in Ops, and the doors to Captain Sisko’s office slid aside as he power-walked inside.

“Captain, we might have a problem.”


End file.
